NEW DELHI,
FEB. 4.
The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) has expressed its dismay at the recent Urban Development Ministry's order relating to mixed land use scheme. A statement issued by the DMA claimed that the doctors registered in the Capital were shocked to see the letter. According to the order, the Government has decided to charge the annual permission fee at the rate of 10 per cent from banks and nursing homes and only 2.5 per cent from guest-houses. In the order, nursing homes have been equated with banks and all nursing homes thus running in residential premises for over a decade will have to pay a hefty annual permission fee.

"Almost all medical establishment do free service during natural calamity and also conduct free medical check-ups besides participating in various government programmes from time to time including campaigns like the polio eradication programme, Matri programme, family health awareness programme and many other health related programmes as per directions from the Centre as well as the State government. We are in the welfare sector and the new tax that is being levied is not fair,'' said the DMA president, Anil Bansal.

The DMA is the premier medical association with the membership of over 10,000 doctors and is the Delhi State branch of the Indian Medical Association. The Nursing Home and Medical Establishment Forum of DMA has a membership of about 800 nursing homes and private hospitals.

Dr. Bansal said that nursing homes and medical establishment should have not been charged at all and even if it was required, the tax should not be more than 1 per cent.

"Nursing homes and hospitals in the Capital provides as many as 60 thousand jobs and if such huge amount of tax is levied by the Ministry then most of the nursing homes will have to close down,'' said Dr. Bansal.

The DMA has requested that the government look into the matter so that the interest of the medical fraternity as well as public is protected.